Kinkaid family, colleagues reflect on the judge’s career

The Honorable 64th District Judge Robert Kinkaid’s last day in office is Monday.

The Honorable 64th District Judge Robert Kinkaid’s last day in office is Monday.

Photo: Ellysa Harris/Plainview Herald

Photo: Ellysa Harris/Plainview Herald

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The Honorable 64th District Judge Robert Kinkaid’s last day in office is Monday.

The Honorable 64th District Judge Robert Kinkaid’s last day in office is Monday.

Photo: Ellysa Harris/Plainview Herald

Kinkaid family, colleagues reflect on the judge’s career

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Even if the charges are similar, every legal case is different and varies in complexity and dynamic. No two days and no two cases are the same.

The Honorable 64th District Judge Robert Kinkaid said that's what ultimately led him to choose a career in law.

"I thought it would be an interesting career," he said.

Now 30 years after he began his law career and after 16 years serving as a district judge, Kinkaid's prepared to vacate the bench. His last day as district judge is Monday.

"I did not ever expect to be a district judge retiring in Hale County, Texas," he told The Herald during a conversation in the days leading up to his retirement date as he reflected on the last 30 years.

Assistant DA

After he graduated from Plainview High School, he went on to the University of Tennessee before later coming back to Texas for law school and to begin his career.

Kinkaid was a fresh graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Law when he was offered a position in the Hale County District Attorney's office.

He'd applied for a job with the federal government and was waiting to hear back when he got the call from Hale County, he said. He went ahead and took it.

"About a week later, the federal government calls and said 'we'd like to offer you the job.' I said 'I already told somebody I was going to work for them so I'd better do that'," Kinkaid recalled.

The next 16 years serving as an assistant district attorney turned out to be what Kinkaid describes as the most rewarding experience for him.

"When you're a district attorney, you're basically the front end of law enforcement, you know," he said. "I used to always like to say 'the police work up the case, solve the cases and then the district attorney got to make sure you push it over the goal line.'"

It's the job that helped him truly understand and get a feel for the ebbs and flows of law – and it was fulfilling, he said.

"He knows everything when it comes to law," said Marty Mejorado, director of the adult probation department for Hale County who worked with Kinkaid for the last 26 years.

As an assistant DA, Kinkaid was meticulous about gathering all his evidence, doing all his research and picking out errors quickly, Mejorado recalled. That's something she said Kinkaid taught her.

"He's a very hard worker," Mejorado said. "He's always busy doing something. You do not slack around that man."

He carried those preparation skills over as a judge. Mejorado and Debra Smith, Kinkaid's former court reporter, both said he's a good listener with a knack for picking out errors. They both, like just about every other person who spoke with The Herald, used the words "strict" and "fair" to describe Kinkaid as a judge.

In 16 years, Kinkaid has tried cases involving murder, drugs, love triangles gone wrong, embezzlement, assaults, abuse – he's just about seen it all. Regardless of the activity in his courtroom, Smith – his former court reporter – said he always managed to keep his composure.

"I don't care how bad the case was, everybody had been treated with dignity and respect," she said. "He's not the type to belittle them or mock them or anything like that. He's always been fair and always treated them like he wanted to be treated."

He was also always conscious of kids if there were any in the courtroom, she said.

Smith and Jessie Canalez, Kinkaid's current court administrator and former bailiff, mentioned Kinkaid has a good record of appeals where his judgment was upheld.

"As a judge, he tried to make sure the law and rules were followed and verdicts were upheld," Smith said.

Mejorado said her clients often describe Kinkaid as intimidating – a fact that's worked in her favor.

"I give them the option to straighten up or go see Judge Kinkaid," Mejorado said. "It's made my job easier. People don't want to go back and see him. It's very rare that they ever get a second chance."

When he's outside the courtroom setting, Mejorado, Smith and Canalez each described the judge as a kind and compassionate man.

Home life

It wasn't long after Judge Kinkaid decided he was going to retire that he started talking about maybe getting back in the field somewhere down the line. While she's supportive of her husband, Teresa Kinkaid has encouraged him to decompress first.

He's given 110 percent to his career spending countless late night/early mornings and lots of weekends around his office, she said.

He could use a break, she said.

The couple plans to stick around Plainview for a while but the judge ultimately wants to head to Tennessee where he said he plans to become a professional Tennessee sports fan.

Besides his family, one of his greater interests outside the courtroom is sports. It's a passion shared by his entire family. It's how they bond.

No matter how much time he spent at his office or around the courtroom, Teresa said Judge Kinkaid always makes time for his kids. Teresa said her husband is good about leaving his work at the office and being in-the-moment for family time and to love on his dogs.

Caroline Kinkaid, the couple's daughter and a nursing student at Purdue University, said this is her first time living away from home and being on her own. When she starts getting too homesick or works herself into a panic, the self-proclaimed "daddy's girl" picks up the phone and calls her dad.

No matter his caseload, there have been a few times this past year when he's dropped everything on a Friday to spend the weekend with her.

"He's the best dad ever," Caroline said.

Trent Kinkaid, her brother and a law student at the University of Tennessee, said Judge Kinkaid has done that for him too.

When he visits, Trent said, they try to catch a game – it doesn't matter what sport.

They chat about school, a little about their jobs and the future.

He's also a Godly man, Teresa added.

To be clear, she said, he also knows how to relax and have a good time. With laughter, Trent and Caroline said he's a jokester when he's at home and is far from the stern man they hear he is in the courtroom.

When Trent told his dad he wanted to pursue a career in law, he recalls his father turning to him and asking "are you sure?"